The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-05-21

*oooi VhiVut. tuiuh IL Is nlucH
better than the average. Folks don't
want to be reading religious books all
the time. Why, the young people
must have little romance to mix
along with the solid mental food.
Our children are born with love of
stOries-rOmantic stories-wondtIful
stories. The Arabian Nights and
Baron Munchausen and Hans Chris
tian Anderson are all unreal and the
biggest sort of lies, but they do DO
harm. Esop's fables are lies, but
they teach the best kind of morality.
Our earliest delights were in getting
around the hearthstone at night and
listening to the marvels ana lictons
that our parents told us. How often
did we slip ont quietly to the old ne
groes' cabin of night and hear them
tell of ghosts and witches and Jack
o'lanterns and grave yards and raw
head and bloody bones.
| think that DR.. Talmage is too
hard upon our literature, for there is
great deal that is good and great
deal more that Is not corrupting. But
still we all lament the food of bad
books and the bad newspapers in the
land. The press has wonderful
power and a wonderful responsibility
and it was never more beautifully
and trutbfully told than your Frank
Richardson told it in his reply to the
toast at the mediea banquet. | have
cut that out and filed it away as a
gem uf the first vater.
Well, | reached Richmond the next
morning-old Observation-Disclosures
Richmond. I had not been there
since the war. The city was all COM
motion then, and her many cavaliers
galloped through her streets by day
and by night. There was dog fight
at the depot, and it reminded me of
the time, twenty-three years ago,
when Colonel Towers and stopped
to look at great big wagon crate of
dogs and see the dog men catching
more with their long poles and nets.
Tke. dog law had just been passed
and the city marshal was enforcing
it and had about fifty in the long
wagon and was still catching more.
There we're big dogs and little dogs,
and all breeds and varieties and they
were all fighting. and every new dog
that was thrown in went at it in self
defense. l never saw or heard such
a doggoned row in. my life and have
never forgotten it.
Leaving Richmond I took the train
for Norfolk, and traversed the famous
battle grounds down the peninsula.
We passed the Seven Pines, and
Malvern Hill, and Meadow Bridge,
and Williamsburg, and dam number
one and two and crossed the Chicka-
hOminy near where Captain John
Smith laid his head upon rock to
have his skull crushed by old PO-
whattaii, and Miss Pocahontas came
sailing in just in time. The captain
ought to have married that girl but
he didn't.
Behind me sat two men; one had
but one arm and the other but one
leg, and they talked all about the
seven days fight and Seven Pines;
and one talked for Gen. Mcclellan
and the other for Bob Lee, and !
found out that one was a federal and
the other a rebel. One had been
prisoner at the Libby and the other
ut Johns0n's Island, and now they
were as loving as brothers and were
together revisiting the scenes OF their
glory and their misfortunes. passed
very near the place where | saw
stonewall Jackson for the first time
and the last. He was asleep under
the fly of General Lees tent; he had
tumbled down upon some straw ana
I inquired who that man was, and
was told he was StOnewall Jackson.
He had had no rest or sleep for three
days, and tired nature was overcome.
The camp table was atraddled over
him, and dinner was set and devour'
ed with the great soldier underneath.
It was not far from Meadow Bridge
that | overlook Bill Charlton, VINO
was setting by the roadside, ana
when / asked MIN where was his
company, he said they were out IN
the bushes holding an election. AN
election for captain said he, land
az I am candidate ! thought ! would
walt till they got through" Sure
enough they elected him, and then
he Joined the boys and hurried on
with the retreat. Everybody was
rstreating then, for old Joe Johnston
was scared Of Mcclellan and wa:
getting away from all that dam and
Z business, a. the boys called Y. But
he didn't retreat oil the time' ~ ~
won't do to follow old Joe too far at
\ time. for be kicks like 4 mule. n